Eqpahak Island Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This was the traditional meeting place of the Maliseet annual council, on the other side of the river from their permanent village called Aukpaque, or 'head of tide'. The village was occupied until the late 18th century, just prior to people being moved to reserves at nearby Kingsclear and St. Mary's . Even until recent times, this was a popular gathering place for the Maliseet or Wolastoqiyik ("the people of the beautiful river"). It is said that 'when blossoms are on the trees, it is time to go to Aukpaque'. This was also the time of the spawning striped bass - a saltwater species which at one time commonly weighed over 25 pounds, often over 60 pounds. It must have been quite a sight to see spawning runs of such large fish.
We knew from past archaeological surveys, going back to the turn of the century, that Savage Island had been occupied in pre-contact times. This was a large multi-component site which had been occupied seasonally for at least the past 3000 years. The river has changed over the centuries, systematically cutting new channels as it meandered between the numerous islands above Fredericton. With the construction of the Mactaquac dam in the late 1960's, a few kilometers upstream, the flow of the river has been interrupted causing higher flood levels and a flushing action which has accelerated erosion of the banks. During the past decade, more than three-quarters of the site has been lost to erosion. A mitigative archaeological project by the Kingsclear Reserve in 1994 resulted in brief testing of the site.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
7 Srrg Uvtu